Discrete nonlinear localization in femtosecond laser written waveguides in fused silica

The observation of discrete spatial solitons in fs laser written waveguide arrays in fused silica is reported for the first time. The fs writing process permits the specific setting of the linear and nonlinear guiding properties of the waveguides. The results in this paper reveal a new avenue for the fabrication of various nonlinear optical devices. (c) 2005 Optical Society of America.